


The garden

by SailorStarDust1



Series: VKaz Week 2016 [4]
Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Drama, Fluff, M/M, Prompt Fic, VKaz Week, VKaz Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 07:38:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8048002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorStarDust1/pseuds/SailorStarDust1
Summary: Day 4 of a series of VKaz fanfic prompts for #VKazWeek #VKazWeek2016 with a rough, overarching, story.





	The garden

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt 4, Day 4: Green Thumb

The hot sun beat down on the various Diamond Dogs staff in the Animal Conservation Platform. A sunny day was certainly welcome for their day off: Boosting morale to play with the animals on the platform, and their new addition of a garden.

"I swear, the goats'll just eat all our hard work.", Kaz mumbled to nobody in particular sitting in the shade, V crouching down nearby, hard at work and planting some vegetables. The staff growing their own food would certainly be cost effective and even fun... But why couldn't Big Boss recall either way if MSF had a similar setup? Must be yet another coma side effect.

"Have a little fun, Kaz.", Snake turned to face him as the blonde wordlessly handed him a tiny spade with the roll of his eyes behind aviators.

Fun, his Boss insisted. It was a damn near impossible concept with Kaz's stresses of effectively babysitting Eli _and_ Emmerich in his off-time. Christ... Now, the other children? He couldn't help but feel awful for them, remembering his own difficulties growing up in war-torn Japan. Code Talker had been incredibly helpful regarding his Intel on Skull Face's plots—alongside the subcommander's...business side of things. He offered a silent prayer that Snake wouldn't find out about his burger joint—It's not like he was spending _too much_ of their GMP on Miller's Maxi Buns™, after all.

The blonde took a cursory glance of the enclosure they were in: Flaming Buffalo and Smiling Mantis gossiping as they played with the goats and sheep, Quiet helping Eli and the boys to plant some flowers, Ocelot readying a batch of vegetables to plant as DD "helped" by digging at the Earth on command, the male soldiers saying something about wanting to pet his pad paws... An honestly peaceful scene.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"About damn time." A low chuckle.

Kaz turned to see Snake grinning at him, the man lightly tapped at his partner's lips, as if to say 'Knew it. A smile'. And to think, if this were the old days with the real Big Boss, Kaz and Boss alike would've been paranoid of getting caught, or the men—and women—getting the not so wrong idea. But these days?

The Diamond Dogs subcommander was starting to especially value Venom Snake's gentle touches. He needed something to help him stay afloat, when all his various stresses were... 

Shaking his head to clear it, he bent down with the help of his crutch and Snake's bionic arm; his lone, flesh, hand dug into the soft dirt. The smell of near sea breeze mixed with the scent of the Earth, nearby goats happily munching on some weeds as their distant sheep baa'ed. Peaceful. He tried to recall if he ever did any gardening in his youth, but probably not, with that hectic life of running his mother's shop.

Today, Miller decided, he'd force himself to keep a smile on his face. Regardless of what crap life threw his way.

As if sensing his partner's mood, with a smile of his own, Big Boss grabbed a watering can.

"Quiet." He gestured for the woman to come over, she did so with a curious look. "Hm?"

Eyeing the water can, she began to laugh lightly as Snake slowly tipped the can over her head, her parasites earning a much-needed drink as she happily danced around in a circle.

Kaz hated to admit the smile on his face became downright goofy as even Ocelot chuckled at the pair. The funny scene almost, _almost_ , made the blonde want to give Quiet a full pardon—but he wouldn't, he refused, when there were far too many suspicions surrounding her.

Quiet afterwards returned to help the kids—who looked like they wanted to play in the water too as Snake himself returned to Kaz's side. "By the way, Kaz, did you decide to add these gardens to the platform?"

Come to think of it, he honestly wasn't sure who's idea this was. "Huh? I thought you gave the go-ahead, Boss. It wasn't me or one of the men that suggested it..."

Exchanging a look of pure confusion, Miller's answer came in the form of an out-of-breath Bastard Bison, handing the subcommander a letter addressed to him. No return address.

Was that handwriting...? Couldn't be.

Eyes narrowing, Miller politely offered an "At ease, Bison. Thank you." while stepping away from both him and Snake to lean against the platform railing, a light breeze blowing. As Bison and his Boss fell into an easy conversation about work, Kaz was silently thankful none of the staff realized he and Ocelot came up with their code names in between rounds of drinking when off duty. Usually born out of their fits of boredom, as they waited for _their_ Big Boss to safely return from his night-long missions.

Gingerly opening the envelope with his personal combat knife, Kaz grimaced as his dull blue eyes fell to the words enclosed:

_My Intel tells me you could use a relaxing hobby. Don't let the stress get to you._

Nothing else. He wasn't sure whether to be offended or relieved that leather-jacket wearing son of a bitch who sold the world a lie _hadn't_ further inquired about the blonde's health, his life, the new Mother Base...Either Big Boss had _that_ much faith in Diamond Dogs and the phantom, or he simply didn't care; busy with his Outer Heaven project.

Memories of a hazy hospital kiss unforgotten on his lips, Kaz snarled—did Ocelot's eyes catch his own, in confusion? Whatever—while tearing envelope and letter alike into shreds before tossing them into the sea below with an air of calm.

Teeth grit, he carefully forced his smile to return, all while the phantom's eye grew in confusion at his partner's silent anger. "...Kaz?"

Slinging his lone arm around an extremely puzzled Venom Snake's shoulder, Kaz cheerfully offered: "You like burgers, right, Boss?"  


End file.
